Until Death
by AvatarMike20
Summary: This is MY TAKE on XENOBLADE CHRONICLES X. It will mention some things from the first Xenoblade Chronicles, but it takes place on the planet Mira. I know, I could have made it a crossover, but I didn't.
1. Chapter 1

_Earth, as we know, is no more. In its place, is emptiness. In the year 2054, a huge intergalactic battle took place. In that battle, all but one ship survived; the White Whale. The White Whale is an American Ark Ship. The shop got caught in the middle of the action. One of the alien races targetedf onto the ship and shot it. Even though itwas hit, the people on the ship were not harmed in anyway during the crash. The ship was huge. On the inside, there stood a city that was to be called New Los Angeles._

 **Year: 2054  
Location: Earth**

"Single file line people!" a guard tried to calm everyone down. It was hectic down there. Above them, an intergalactic battle was going on. Two alien races were fighting to see who could would rule the planet of the Human race, Earth. Seven of the Nine ships have been loaded, with the eighth being loaded up. That ship was called the White Whale. There were two lines; one line was for families, the other were for singles. The families were going first. The singles line was chaotic.  
"At this rate, we're all going to die!" someone shouted; many others agreeing with him soon after. The guards tried to push the single's line back in order, but they kept on trying to shove their way through.  
"Calm down!" one guard on shift said. He seemed middle aged. He had a regular sized brown mustache and brown hair. He wore a dark blur shirt with sunglasses and a black bulletproof vest. "I understand the situation you are all in, but we need to stay calm!"  
"Stay calm!?" one other guy shouted. "How can we stay calm in a situation like this?!"  
"Yeah!" one lady shouted. "Our lives are just as important as those families lives."  
"I understand," the mustached man tried to explain. "These families have children to tend to. We must sure we can fit enough families in each ark. When we believe there are enough, we will let each of you through."  
"Yeah right!" a young lady cried out. The others agreeing with her as well. "We're all going to be dead by the time."  
"Ma'am." the guard looked over at her. "I am here to make sure that doesn't happen to any of us."

After saying that, a buff partially bald man wearing a suit, walked over to him. He was the man in charge His hair color was white.  
"Jerome," he cleared his throat. The mustached man turned around. He saw his boss standing there. He was in a a wart with these robots called Mechons. His name, Shulk. The Mechons were man eating machines at the time, so he knows what the end of the world felt like. Jefferson was Second in command.  
"Sir." Jefferson walked over to him. "Are they safe?"  
"Your wife and son are in the VIP class just as I promised."  
"You have no idea how much I really appreciate that, sir." he smiled at him.  
"Jefferson," Shulk cleared his throat again. He put his hand on his shoulder. "I want you to go."  
"Ex-excuse me?" Jefferson's eyes grew wide opened. "It sounded like you wanted me to leave my job."  
"Family is far more important, Jefferson."  
"With all due respect sir," Jefferson stated. "When I signed up for this job, I was to risk my life making sure everyone is safe."  
"Those lives include your family's as well, Jefferson." Shulk smiled. "Join them. I will soon follow in the Patrol Ark."  
"But..."  
"No more excuse, Jeff." he stopped him from saying. "Go."

He pushed his second in command closer to the Ark ship to where his wife and son are waiting. The area near the ark was windy, so hair was in his eyes, The guards on the ship stepped aside to let him through. Jefferson made his way to his wife and son. Once he made his way to the VIP spot, he looked for his wife and child. He spotted them by the front. He gave off a big sigh of relief and smiled. His wife had gorgeous long dirty blonde hair. She was wearing a white sleeveless shirt and dark skinny pants. She looked over at her husband and smiled at him. She signaled him to come over. He quickly walked over to them and sat down. She was holding little baby Trey. He was asleep in her arms.  
"Hey..." his wife, Valina, smiled at him. They gave each other a kiss.  
"You both OK?" he asked her.  
"Shulk made sure we had a safe spot." she said quietly. "You have a good boss."  
"He is a caring guy." Jeff replied. They were silent for a few seconds when an announcement turned on.  
"We are now boarding singles and will soon take off." the captain of the ark told them.  
They both sat there patiently as the singles boarded on. After only about a hundred singles came aboard, Shulk came on to check to see how much room was left. Even though the ship was huge, the ship could only carry about up to a few thousand people. Shulk checked the room amount. It told him 3,500 people were aboard. Shulk figured the White Whale was big enough to handle a thousand or so more. He allowed them to go through. After just two minutes of letting more people coming in, an alien came down from one of the ships he was on and started to attack. People screamed and tried to escape, but more aliens came down to trap them all. Some ate the people, others tore the citizens into shreds. Shulk was appalled at the mess. Speechless, he didn't know what to do. Armies came in to fight them off, but there were just too many.  
"No...no..." Shulk said to himself. It turned into a bloodbath.  
Officers were killed. No one refused to back down.

When he heard screaming, Jefferson stood straight up from his seat.  
"Jeff?" Valina said. sounding worried.  
"What the hell?" he said quietly.  
"Honey, what's going on?" "  
He turned to his wife and looked at her in the eyes.  
"Sweetie, you stay here."  
"Wh-where are you going?"  
"I need to see what's going on."  
"Don't!"  
"It'll only take just a minute!" he ran off telling her. "I'll be right back!"  
"Jeff!" her eyes started to tear up.  
Back to where Shulk was, the attack was continuing. Shulk just stood there, not knowing what to do.  
"Sir!" an officer ran up to him. "To ensure your safety you should this Ark."  
Shulk's mouth was still dropped wide opened. Without seeing, a big hand swooped down and took the officer. He tried screaming for help. Shulk was out of breath. He couldn't do anything tio help because he was in shock. He could hear the alien  
munching on his officer's bones.

Then there was complete silence. Just then, claws grabbed Shulk's left ankle and tried to drag him out. Shulk was grunting, holding on to the edge of the door. He looked at the alien who grabbed him. Even though it was tough to see with the dust from the fights, he could still see the creature's disgusting face. He saw no eyes whatsoever. All he saw was black and a big mouth, ready to gobble him up. Shulk did all he could to break free. He never let go of the door's edge. The alien grew increasingly frustrated. He brought his entire face towards his prey. Shulk stuttered at his captor's hideous look. He kept slamming his foot down on the alien's face, but nothing was happening. Just then, a missile came and hit the alien's arm. Shulk looked up and saw that Jefferson had came to the rescue.  
"What the hell are you doing here?!" he yelled at him. "I told you to not worry about me!"  
"That's not who I am, sir!" Jefferson shouted back. "I was trained to risk my life for others!"  
Jeff reached down and grabbed Shulk's hand to pull him back in. Shulk was safely pulled back inside the Ark.  
"You stubborn bastard." Shulk gasped for air.  
His ankle was bleeding. Jefferson grabbed some bandages and wrapped his ankle.  
"That was a close one." Jefferson gulped.  
"You shouldn't have came back for me, Jeff." Shulk told him. "My life is nothing compared to yours."  
"You taught me everything I needed to know." Jefferson told him. "I wasn't going to just stand there and let you die."

They both gave each other a manly hug. They were both out of breath from the  
, the doors were about to close. Just before they closed for good, claws came in from underneath. Both were startled by the look. The alien ripped the door apart and looked inside.  
"Such tasty humans..." the alien smacked his lips.  
"What?" Jefferson's mouth dropped. "They...they can speak our language? Is this their leader or something?"  
"No..." Shulk gulped. "He's got to be a general. Only second in command aliens and leader aliens can speak."  
"So?" Jeff looked over at Shulk. "What's the difference?"  
"Seconds have regular alien arms, but mechanical faces." Shulk said. "Their leaders have are all mechanicals. This one has typical alien arms. This is the one who tried to eat me."  
"Ohh..." the alien seemed interested. "You are knowledgable and seem quite fam-"  
The alien now realized who hew was. He started to cackle. "Oh, this is rich! At last, I have found you...Shulk."  
Jefferson looked over at Shulk in shock.  
"Y-y-you know him?"  
"Not personally," Shulk admitted. "but I did know his former leader."  
"Metal Face..."  
Shulk nodded his head at the response. The alien just chuckled.  
"After the destruction of Metal Face," the alien went on, we decided to create our own society. After all, we are half machine and half alien."  
"The Mechliens..." Shulk mentioned. "Your plan is to avenge Earth for destroying Metal Face."  
"Look at who remembered!" the alien told him.

The alien felt stabbing at his legs. He looked over at them to see a group of humans attacking him. He cackled once more and shook them off. They were sent flying to their deaths. Jefferson had enough of this discussion. He started to shoot at the alien once more. This time he wasn't alone. The other soldiers in the Ark started to attack as alien reached inside and grabbed five soldiers. Thinking they were going to be eaten, they tried to shoot at his mouth. The alien just smiled and started to squeeze them.  
"You know," he said. "I am quite full, but I am so thirsty. Instead of feastin on your flesh, why not squeeze the blood out of you?"  
He started to squeeze them harder than before. Shulk and Jefferson were just as scared as before.  
"I...don't...believe this..." Shulk was witnessing blood from his men being spewed into the aliens mouth.  
"His strength..." Jefferson said. "It...it's unbelievable..."


	2. Chapter 2

Finally, the blood drinking was over. The Alien smacked his lips.  
"Ahh..." he smacked his lips. He threw the deceased bodies on the ground. Both Jefferson and Shulk were terrified. They felt a shiver through their bones.  
"His...strength..." Jefferson said once more. "Un...unbelievable..."  
"He's stronger than before..." Shulk though to himself. "How is that possible? When I was just a teenager, I was able to kick his ass..."

 **30 Years Ago**

There stood Shulk, his best frien Reyn, and a female fighter named Sharla. It was raining and they were all out of breath. At the time, Shulk was only eighteen years old. He wore red armor, with baggy shorts. On him, he had all sorts of chains around him. WHen he was young, his hair color was blonde. He wielded a special blade called the Monado. The Monado was a powerful blade. It can only be wielded by a person with a unique power. The Monado had all sorts of abilities. It also gave Shulk the ability to predict future attacks.

Reyn, Shulk's best friend, wore mainly heavy armor. The color of his hair was brown and seemed to be a little spiked up. He tends to have an attitude, but his friends are able to keep him calm.

Reyn and Shulk met Sharla at a different colony in the Bionic arm. There, she had a brother. They helped her save him from being eaten by a Mechon. Sharla was a female fighter who joined the boys on their adventure. Together, they fought their way through all sorts of Mechons.

There, the three of them stood, out of breath. It was pouring rain outside.  
"There is no stopping me!" the Mechon said. That Mechon was the same Mechon that Shulk and Jefferson are facing at the present time. His name is Dumar. Even though they were tired from all the fighting, there was no way they were going to give up. Shulk found a secret spot. He told his friends to keep distracting the Mechon. So they did. Once the secret spot was available. Shulk went straight for it and delivered the final blow. The alien screamed and then collapsed. Thinking the Mechon was done for, they walked away from the battle and let him there to die.

 **Present Day**

"Unfortunately for you, Shulk." Dumar said. "They others arrived shortly after our fight and revived me."  
"Alright," Jefferson said. "I have had enough of this bullshit."  
He prepared his missile gun once again.  
"Jeff! NO!" Shulk tried to stop him. It was too late, he started to shoot at the alien anyway. Dumar pushed away every missile out. The missiles hit the  
buildings and were killing people instead. Dumar gave off a nasty laugh and snort.  
"AHAHAH!" he snorted.

After three shots, Jeff was all out. "Damn it..." he threw the gun onto the ground. They just stared at each other intensely. Dumar grabbed more of the officers and threw them out of the Ark. Jeff got his fists ready. He definitely did have enough of this. He put his teeth together and breathed through it.  
"Jeff...?" Shulk looked over at him. He looked ready he was to go head on with the alien. "Jeff, if you're thinking about attacking him head on, you can forget it!"  
Jeff looked over at Shulk and smirked.  
"Sir," he told him. "You've always said I was hard headed that I play by my own rules and you told me that's what you liked about me."  
"I'm telling you Jeff!" Shulk did all he could to persuade him to not go for it. Jeff ignored him and went for an that was on the wall. He walked towards the door.  
"A challenger..." Dumar said. "This one looks tasty."  
Jeff looked over at Shulk one more time and smiled.  
"I'm sorry Shulk." he told him. Shulk took one step closer.  
"Jeff...please..." Shulk said one more time.  
"Thank you for everything."

Jeff put a hand on his forehead and signaled him farewell. Once doing that, he jumped off. Shulk ran over to the opened door and watched him land on the ground. He signaled the captain to take off with him.  
"NOO-!" Shulk cried out. He watched as the Ark started to fly off and Jeff started to slice his way through the aliens.  
"Boss!" an officer said. "We have to close to close the door.  
"Jeff..." Shulk was speechless. They were about fifty feet off the ground. The Ark started to fly higher. They closed the doors and entered the outer space.

Shulk slammed his fists on the door several times. He turned around and walked up to one of his officers. He grabbed his shirt collar. He slammed his  
officer against the wall, causing all the other officers to jump.  
"How could you let him die like that!?"  
"Sir..." the officer tried to say. "He requested that you were to kept safe."  
Another walked up to confirm his words.  
"It's true, boss."

The one who confirmed the officer's words was a close friend of Jeff. He was was Jefferson's right hand man; Kumir. Kumir was a buff man. He had been working with Jeff since the day he started over a year ago. Kumir, at the time, wore his uniform. A regular officer's uniform is a dark blue shirt with a badge on it and black pants. The higher ups must wear a formal white shirt, a tie, with black pants and a tie. Their shoes must also be black.  
"Kumir," Shulk marched right up to him. "You knew all about this?!"  
"Believe me sir," Kumar tried to explain. "I did everything I could to stop him."  
"You didn't do enough!" Shulk lifted him up. "How the hell am I supposed to  
ex—-"

He was interrupted by a loud band. They all ran towards the window. To their surprise, they got themselves caught in the middle of the alien battle. Back in where Valina was trying her best to calm down her crying son.  
"Shh…shh…" she tried to hush him. "Everything is going to be okay, sweetheart."  
She looked around for any signs of her husband. "Jeff, where are you?"  
She grew increasingly worried. The sound of the ongoing battle outside was not calming her or her son down. She got up from her seat and walked towards the exit door. Due to the Ark being consistently hit, she had a hard time standing still. She arrived at the exit.  
"Sorry, ma'am." a guard said. "but due to the fight, you are not allowed back here."  
"I have got to see if my husband is all right!"  
"Sorry, ma'am."

"Please…" Valina begged.

The guard still did not budge. He ordered one of his men to take her back to her seat.  
"NO! NO!" Salina said. "I have to see him!"  
The guard just kept on escorting her away from the door. The guard made her sit back down and returned to his post.  
"Jeff…" a tear dropped down from her cheek. She closed her eyes and laid her head back, praying for him to be safe.


	3. Chapter 3

All of a sudden, they felt an attack on their ship. Shulk ran over to the window and saw what was happening.  
"Oh my god…" he said. They found themselves in the middle of the alien battle. The aliens just kept on fighting like they were never there. Attacks kept on hitting the ship. Even the captain was having a hard time controlling the ship.  
"Captain!" a low voice person said. The captain turned around and saw the Chief Engineer of the White Whale standing before him. He had short light blonde hair. He seemed to be in his mid to late thirties. He wore a dark sleeveless shirt. His tattoo was visible on his right shoulder. His mustache was the same color as his hair, light blonde. He was crossing his arms.  
"Vandham!" the captain said with his firmest voice. "What the hell is going on with the engines?!"

The captain's name is Kentaro Nagi. He was in his early forties. He had black hair and was older than Vandham. Even though Vandhamu was younger, he was quite experienced. Nagi wore a simple captain's uniform. His face was starting to get wrinkles. He wore no captain's hat.  
"It seems the attacks are getting the best of the Ark's engines sir!"  
"Well, fix it, damn it!"  
"We're doing the best we can, Nagi." Vandhamu admitted. "but, it seems the attacks are just too strong!"

Just then, another explosion sounded. A voice came on the captain's speaker.  
"Engine Number Three is down! I repeat, Engine Three is down!"  
"Crap!" both Nagi and Vandham said.  
"We have to hope on Engine Four."  
"Captain," Vandhamu approached him once again. "Engine Four isn't powerful enough. It was just a backup! Just one hit from a missile would cause it to blow!  
"We don't have a choice." Nagi took the wheel once more. "These people on the White Whale must live. Talk with the other Chief Engineers on the other Arks if you must."  
"Nagi…"  
"Do as I say!" Nagi shouted at him. "Not even Shulk will stand for this rebellious nature of yours."  
"As you wish, Captain."

With that being said, Vandham left the control room and went down to the Engine room. He ordered his men to start up engine four. One of them tried to fight back, but he didn't want to hear it. If he had to follow orders, so must his crew. Without saying anything else, members prepped engine four for action. As they prepped for their weak engine, a part of the Ark blew off into space. Air started to suck people out. The members were holding on for their lives. They held on to railings; anything stable they could find. Even Vandham found himself in trouble of being sucked out.  
"Damn aliens!" he said to himself, holding on to a railing. He looked over to see his assistant holding on for his life as well. His assistant wasn't doing so well. He was about to slip.  
"Vandham," he said.  
"You're not going, Harold!"  
"I'm sorry, sir…" he said. Just then, he let go.  
"NOO!" he cried out. The ship was tipping, so his body slid on the floor of the engine room. He say many people fly out. He had about two hundred people working for him. He lost half of his engineers. He looked out behind him. He saw the aliens fighting, but none were attacking anymore. He could see the Earth off in the distance. Next, he saw a bright light surrounding Earth  
"Holy sh—" his jaw dropped.

Even the captain saw what had happened. "My god…"  
"The Earth…" Shulk saw it too. "It…it's gone…"

The citizens on the White Whale were informed by it's Captain; Nagi.  
"Citizens of the White Whale, and New LA," Nagi started off by saying. "This is Captain Nagi speaking. We apologize for the rough start, but fortunately we were able to make it through."  
Once the attacks had stopped, all the remaining Engineers peered out of the gaping hole that was torn off. Vandham made his way to the front. The Captain was still talking in the background. Everyone was entirely speechless as to what they had just witnessed.  
"Regrettably," Nagi kept on going. "I have unfortunate news I must share with you all. During the attack, we have lost three of our best engines. We are now running on our backup. As for how long it will last, I cannot foretell. During the attack, we lost over half of our engineers. To top it all off, we have lost our home planet along with three other Arks"

After that was said, Salina gasped. "No!"She ran to the back. There she found Shulk and his other men in awe.  
"Shulk!" Valina ran over to him with her son in her arms.  
"Valina?" Shulk looked over. "What are you doing back here?"  
"Jeff!" Valina started to cry. "I have to know! Where is he?"  
Shulk hung his head low. He other men took off his caps and placed them on their chests. Valina clapped her hand over her mouth.  
"N…no…"  
"Valina," Kumar walked over to her. He too was saddened by this event. "I am truly sorry…"  
She immediately removed Kumar's hand from her shoulder and looked at him upset and angry. She pushed Kumar away from her.  
"How could you say something like that?" she yelled at him. "You're his second in command! Why didn't you do anything to stop him!?"  
Kumar was shocked. "I-I…"  
"You WHAT!?" Salina kept shouting at him. "Are you going to say you did everything you could to stop him? That you just couldn't reason with him?"  
"Valina! Enough!" Shulk tried to calm her down.  
"Shut up!" she told Shulk. "You didn't help at all!"  
"We did everything we could, Valina!" Kumar stated once more.  
"You didn't do enough!" she kept shouting at him. Shulk signaled someone over. The man took out an object.  
"Damn you!" she got louder. "Damn you all! All of you can go to Hell!"  
They all had enough. The guy who took out his taser walked closer. Salina turned around and the man tasered her in the next. She fell to the floor. Shulk picked up her son. He ordered two of his men to take her to a quiet room. They dragged her into an isolated room. They put her in a light blue jump suit and threw her unconscious body in with her hands tied behind her back. A few minutes she awoke; groggy.

"Oooh…" she made a groaning sound. "Wha-what happened?"  
She found herself in a bright small room. Hair was in her eyes. She found her hands to be tied behind her back. She got up from her knees and looked around.  
"Where the hell am I?" she raised an eyebrow. She then gasped. She looked around for her son. "Trey?!" she looked around. "TREY!?"  
"Your son will be OK, Valina." Shulk said walking into the room.

"What the hell have you done with me?!"  
"You were harassing me and the other officers."  
"Not physically!"  
"Physically or orally," Shulk said. "You did so anyway. We had no choice but to taser you and take your son away."  
She was stunned to hear that news. "You lay a damn hand on my baby…"  
"You see, Valina." he told her. "With these consistent empty threats you say, we had no choice to put you in here."  
"I have made no threats toward you or your officers."  
"You have made plenty."  
"If you're saying I have made threats to you other than today, you're sadly mis—"  
"You have made tons of threats towards us."  
"That's a lie!"  
"You really think so?" Shulk said. "Not from what Jefferson has told us."  
Valina's eyes grew wide opened. "He didn't…"  
"Each of our officers who have spouses are required to tell us everything." Shulk put his hands behind his back. "It's what they signed up for."  
"Why would he betray me like that?"  
"They are also meant to keep things a secret, Valina."  
"This government is corrupt!"  
"You're wrong Valina…" Shulk walked out of the door. "We're only trying to keep you and the other citizens safe."  
"You crazy son of a BITCH!" she called him. She ran after him. Shulk took out his taser and stunned her. She fell to the floor unconscious once more. He looked over at her.  
"It's for your own good, Valina."

The doors opened and he walked out. The guards closed the door. "Give her anything she needs, and keep an eye on her." he told them. He then walked away. He met up with his newly recent promoted second in command, Kumir.  
"What about the boy?" he asked Shulk.

"He will be under our watch from now on."  
"And the mother?"  
"Her too."

Together, they just walked away.

 _We were set adrift for the next two years when we were attacked once more. It was assumed that we were attacked by the same race of aliens that blew up our home planet. The captain warned braced us for impact. That's when I thought we weren't going to make it. It was a rough landing, but we survived. What planet were we on? We had no idea. We called it Mira. It was to be our new home. That's when everything changed. That's when we created a pact; a pact called Until Death…_


	4. Chapter 4

**16 Years Later**

 _We have been stuck on Planet Mira for sixteen years. That means Earth has been dead for a total of eighteen. Employees of the White Whale have been doing excellent at keeping New LA and its citizens safe. Some have even earned a new position. Former Engineering Chief Vandham now has the role of Commander of the team called BLADE. BLADE is an acronym for "Builders of the Legacy After the Destruction of Earth". They are the known protectors of New LA's citizens. Just about everyone who lives in New LA works for BLADE. The boy, Trey, is now Eighteen years old. He reminds me so much of his father, Jefferson. His mother has suffered through a lot and is still being watched today. Valina has become an emotional and threatening woman since her husband passed. Her son, Trey, is on his way to be a soldier. He is like a son to me. I have raised him, looked after him, and trained him. I know he will be an officer just like his father._

There stood a boy infant of his barracks. A boy who was trained by the great Shulk himself. He's well known around New LA as Trey; the young adult who never had a chance to know his biological father. Even though Shulk wasn't married to his mother, he still referred to Shulk as a father. The color of Trey's hair is brown. He had the color of his father's eyes. He was a younger version of his father. He wore a red bandana, with the word BLADE in black, on his head. He smiled as he walked into the streets of New Los Angeles. People were checking the board for missions to receive. He passed by people testing their Skells. Skells are big robots that people control from the inside. He knew a little about repairing Skells by watching Shulk repair some himself. He even let Trey help when necessary. When he would walk by, people who need help with their Skells, would grab Trey's attention and ask him for some help.  
"Trey!" someone waved him over.  
"Hey, Doug!" he said. He walked over to him. Doug has very thin hair. The color of it being black. He too is a member of BLADE. He mostly wore armor. He is very skilled when it comes to fighting, although his best skill of them all is piloting Skells. His armor looks very cyborg like. His division is a Harrier. BLADE has eight divisions total.  
"Trey," he said. "I am needed for a mission out in the field, but my Skell isn't function properly."  
"When are you needed?"  
"In three minutes," Dough replied.  
"Oohh…" Trey sucked in between his teeth. "Can you do it without your Skell?"  
"I suppose…" Doug hesitated at first. "Are you sure you can't fix the issue in like two minutes?"  
"Let me see what I can do." Trey smiled. He looked around Doug's Skell. "The outside looks perfectly fine. Let's take a look at the inside."  
He opened each hatch of the Skell until he finally found the issue.  
"Aha!" Trey claimed. "It seems the main wire needs to be replace. Take a look."

Doug looked inside of the back of his Skell. The main wire was fried. That wire operated on all the main controls of the Skell. Just as Dough was taking out the wire, Trey's communicator received a reminder.  
"Damn, I'm late."  
Huh?" Doug was confused. "What's wrong?"  
"I'm late to go see my mother." Trey said. "I'll send a request to Lin for a wire exchange. Good luck on your mission, Doug!"  
"Now just wait a minute." Dough tried to say. It was too late. Trey started running.  
"I'm supposed to trust a thirteen year old girl?" Doug rolled his eyes. He sighed and looked back into his Skell. Doug soon got a message from Lin telling him that she was on her way.

Trey arrived at the mental facility where his mother was located. She too was known around that facility after being sent there multiple time for worrying, threats and numerous of other reasons. Shulk told him that his mother had changed ever since the day his father died. Trey sat down in a chair opposite from his mother. In between them was a window. There, he saw an officer leading his mother in handcuffs to the window. She wore a white t-shirt and black pants. She smiled once she saw her son's face. The officer sat her down and stepped aside.  
"Hi Mom…" Trey smiled gently.  
"Sweetheart," she told him softly. "I was starting to think you forgot about me."  
"How could I forget my own mother?" Trey chuckled. "I have got to see you every other week to tell you how things are going."  
"That's what I love about you."

They were quiet for a few moments.  
"Mom," he finally said. "Will you ever leave?"  
"I don't know, Trey."  
"Shulk doesn't think so." Trey told his mother, looking down. Sometimes he felt ashamed to call her his mother because of the way she acts.  
"Shulk…" she scoffed. "I swear that man sometimes. I just want to…"  
"You see?" her son looked back up. "This is why he doesn't believe you won't stop coming here every so often. I'm starting to see it too."  
"Trey, I…"  
"He's always told me stories of how kind and gentle you were." Trey continued. "but, ever since Dad's death, you've never been the same."  
His mother was starting to feel some shame inside her as well.  
"What happened to you, Mom?" he has a sad look on his face. She hated seeing the sadness in her own son's eyes.  
"I don't know, swather…" she admitted to him.  
Trey just sighed.  
"I want to get out of here, Trey," she continued. "Really, I do, but…"  
"But what?"  
"There's something inside me that's just controlling me." Valina teared up a little. "I guess I just haven't let go of the fact that he's gone."

"It's been eighteen years, Mom." Trey responded to her. "How do you think I feel? I never got to know Dad, and look at where I am today. In just one week, I graduate from BLADE Academy and I get to join other officers. Not even once have I thought of my biological father. I keep myself busy. Perhaps you should do the same."  
"Everything here reminds me of your father, Trey." his mother admitted. "Even you. You're starting to look a lot like him. You're even starting to sound like him. Trey, you're all I have left of him."  
"I know, mother." Trey said. "I just am tired of seeing you being put in this place every other month."  
"I know, darling." Valina told him. "I guess my mind and heart aren't healed yet."  
They were quiet for another minute. Trey slid away and got up. "I better go." he told his mother. "I still have some lessons to attend to. You're coming next week, right?"  
His mother smiled. "I wouldn't miss it for the world!"  
He smiled back. "I'll see you then." he told her. "I love you, Mom."  
"I love you too, sweetie."

The officer picked her back up and took her back to her room. Trey stood there and watched. "Please get better soon, Mom." he said quietly then walked out of the door. He had one more week left of classes before he could graduate. Soon, he was able to explore the vast planet he grew up on.


	5. Chapter 5

A week went by and graduation had finally arrived. In front of BLADE Tower, chairs were set up in a rows in two columns. Trey's Mother is positioned in the front; surrounded by bodyguards. The Captains of popular BLADE teams were also placed at the front. When one student graduates, he or she chooses which team they are to be a part of. The most recognizable team is lead by a woman named Elma. Elma's skin is olive like. She has long white hair and mainly wears red metal armor. She appeared to be in her early thirties. This time, she wore a captain's hat. She took her seat and put her clipboard on her lap. A man and a woman walked up to her. She looked up.  
"Captain Elma," the man greeted her.  
"Ma'am." the female said.  
"Irina," Elma smiled at her. "How many times must I tell you do not have to call me Ma'am every time you approach me. Please, you have permission to call me by my name."  
"I apologize, captain."she told her.

The two who walked to her were two of her best soldiers; Gwin and Irina. Gwin's hair has a tan color to it. His hair is also slight spiked up. He mainly carries a giant sword around. He had graduated from the BLADE Academy a few years ago and was recently transferred to Elma's team. Irina had been training him for the past month. The reasoning for his transfer is something he tends to not like to talk about. Irina is a female with blonde colored hair. The color of her eyes are light gray. She can be quite a tomboy boy at times. Her main goal is the same as other BLADE members; to protect the citizens of New LA.  
"What brings you two here?" Elma asked them.  
"We thought we would sit with you, ma'am." Irina told her.  
"Please do." Elma agreed to it. They both sat behind her.

Just after they took their seats, Elma spotted two big men walking by in front of her and a woman in a nice red dress pass by. They sat down on the other side. Elma had recognized her from previous appearances. She figured she must be a mother of one of the students who were graduating. Elma got up from her seat.  
"Captain?" Irina asked her. "Where are you going?"  
"I'll be right back." Elma informed her. "There's no need to worry. She walked over to the people who walked passed her. She cleared her throat once she approached them.  
"Pardon me," she told them. All eyes were on her. "I couldn't help but notice that you must be Valina."  
Valina smiled. "How could you tell?" she told her. "You must be Elma. I recognize you from countless interviews."  
A bodyguard stepped aside for Elma to take a seat.  
"I was afraid you wouldn't recognize me, Ma'am."  
"Please, no need to be formal." Valina advised her. "Call me Valina."  
"Valina," Elma corrected herself. "I thought I'd come over and give you my condolences."  
Valina looked confused.  
"On the loss of your husband." Elma continued. "It has been eighteen years today, hasn't it?"  
"Oh, yes, It has, hasn't it?" Valina looked down. Elma noticed she looked slightly disturbed. She was beginning to regret approaching her.  
"You know," Elma got up from her seat. "You're right. I…I shouldn't have said anything…"

She tried to walk away.  
"No no…" Valina stopped her. "It's fine. Please, sit back down."  
Elma sat back down. "I thought I'd talk to you about that day, and about your son."  
"My…son?"  
"Yes," Elma confirmed. "You see, I've had my eye on him for quite some time. I've read stories of your husband about his bravery. Your son is definitely something like him."  
"I like to think so too, Elma." Valina told him. "He has also told me that he hopes to join in one of the most Elite Teams of BLADE."  
"It's not easy to get into my team unfortunately." Elma admitted.  
"Why's that?"  
"The test to get in isn't very easy." Elma stated. "He's got to prove himself."  
"If I know my own son," Valina said. "It's that he knows what he is doing."  
"The thing is, Valina." Elma looked saddened about what she was going to say next. "If he does join the team, I'm responsible for him. I cannot guarantee you that he will return to you alive."  
Valina was silent for a moment. "My son can do it. I believe in him."  
"I understand that, ma'am." Elma said to her. "but we all have our weaknesses."

Music started to play. Elma stood back up. "If you'll excuse me," she pardoned herself. "I best be going back to my seat."  
As Elma was walking away, she heard Valina mutter something. She was looking down at her feet as she muttered the words. She stopped in her tracks. Her eyes grew wide opened. "Ex-excuse me?"  
"I know who we are." she said a bit louder. Elma could feel her heart beat fast.  
"I-I don't know what you're talking about."  
"Don't lie to me, Elma."  
Loud graduation music started to play in the background. Elma stood there in shock. Sweat was dripping down from her forehead. So many thoughts were going through inside her head. She just couldn't figure out how Valina could've known. No other citizen was supposed to know. Elma just shook it off and walked back to her seat. As she was walking back, someone grabbed her by the sleeve.  
"There is danger approaching, young commander." the mysterious person told her. He was wearing a hoodie, so she didn't see his face.  
"S-sorry?"  
"You best be ready for when it comes."  
"I don't know what you're talking about."  
"Soon, my friend, all will be revealed in time."  
She pulled he sleeve away from the stranger and sat back down in her seat. She could feel the eyes of the stranger watching her every move and every mark she made on her board. He hand was shaking. Irina noticed something was wrong with her.  
"Elma," she whispered to her. "Are you OK?"  
"What?" Elma snapped back to reality. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just have… a lot on my mind right now."  
Irina sat back down in her seat.  
"How did she know?" was all Elma could think about. "Did her husband tell her? Did she sneak into the files of the archives? and what did that man mean by danger is coming? All these mysteries…"  
As she was in mid-thought, she heard Vandham call her name.  
"…I would like to welcome Captain Elma up to the podium."  
Applause were heard across the audience. Elma got up from her seat and walked up the steps to the podium.  
"Thank you, Commander." Elma cleared her throat and looked at the audience. "Welcome to the Graduation Ceremony of 2072". Louder applause were heard after she said that. The audience was going crazy.

Elma tried to erase the thoughts from her head. Irina could tell something was definitely bothering her.  
'Something's wrong…" Irina pointed out.  
"She's just nervous." Gwin said. Z  
"It's more than that, Gwin." Irina confirmed. "I've never seen her like this."  
Irina looked over at Valina. That was the last person she saw Elma talk to. She excused herself from Gwin and made her way down the aisle to she could talk to Valina herself; to find out what they talked about. As she made her way down, and Elma was making her speech, things started to rumble. Commander Vandham, Nagi, and Maurice, who is the leader of BLADE, all stood up. Elma exited the podium and squinted her eyes to get a better look. A big shadowy figure appeared above them.  
"What the hell?" Vandham said quietly.


End file.
